


What Baking Can Do

by olympia6000



Series: ValGrace Week 2019 [7]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, New Rome is a happy place where my two babes live, its been long enough, life is good for them, thats not even what this story is about, they're gonna grow old together, well once Jason actually proposes, why am i still here?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 03:07:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19715011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olympia6000/pseuds/olympia6000
Summary: Jason Grace is a really, really bad cook.





	What Baking Can Do

**Author's Note:**

> Final fic of Valgrace ship week! I won't hold you long up here so here's day 7: burn!

****Jason Grace was a lot of things. He was the Champion of Juno, a Hero of Olympus, former Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, slayer of the Trojan Sea Monster, yadda yadda yadda and all that good stuff. The one thing Jason was not, was a good cook. He had tried his best over the years, purposefully buying a house in New Rome with a nice kitchen and going grocery shopping. Even through all of that, he could barely make eggs without burning them.

Usually, Leo was the one who cooked, using an old recipe book he didn’t even know he still had. Jason could watch him in the kitchen for days, the way his boyfriend loved to turn on music and sing and dance while he made literal perfection. Ever since he had moved in, there was a silent rule of “Jason stays out of the kitchen unless he needs a glass of milk before bed”. It was a pretty good rule too.

Today was a special day. 

On this day, about 24 years ago, Esperanza Valdez had given birth to her little _Petardo_ and to Jason, it should be marked as a national holiday. 

It had been his idea to make dinner to surprise him, with Leo having to go into the garage to fix up a few of New Rome’s automaton. Ok, it was Piper’s idea, but there would be no harm in saying it was his. He had been _thinking_ about it… maybe. 

Either way, he had an entire meal to plan, and little time to execute it, hopefully, something would turn out edible. 

While Jason cooked, it gave him time to think back on everything he and Leo had been through together. An entire eight years of knowing each other, four years of being together and counting. Everything since the second giant war felt so surreal. Getting to settle down with someone he loved and having time to get a real job and just, relax. He was an author, so he’s not sure how much of a real job that was but, he thought he was doing pretty well if he does say so himself. 

Jason had gotten lucky. Finding his one and only, getting to watch his friends get married, getting to see them all continue to do great things. It makes him glad that Juno was a meddler. Even if things had started out pretty rough for Jason, he wouldn’t change a thing about how it all ended up. 

Checking the chicken baking in the oven, he sighed, looking around his house. It had been so long since he could really call a place home. Something had always been missing, even when Jason moved in. He knew the house was too large, but Reyna had insisted. 

“You deserve it, Jason,” she had told him, squeezing his arm. 

At the time, he didn’t feel like it. He had done what anyone else in his place would have: fought to protect the ones he loves. 

Then, he finally stopped pinning after Leo and told the mechanic how he felt. Thank the gods he felt the same way, or it could’ve been explosive. Once Leo moved in, bringing all of his light and cheerfulness, it became much homier. 

Jason got used to the sight of oil stained t-shirts in the bedroom and blankets littering every corner of the house (for someone who’s power had to deal with heat, Leo could get awfully cold). He liked sharing his space with him, of course, Jason did, Leo was practically his soulmate. 

Walking back to the middle island, Jason pulled out the ingredients for the dessert. It was a recipe from Leo’s cookbook for _tres leches_ , which was sponge cake soaked in three different kinds of milk. It had sounded easy enough, Jason oddly enjoyed milk, so he knew his way around a cartoon and believed in himself. 

Time was ticking faster than he thought it had once he finished the cake. Setting it aside, he quickly made the table. Piper had given them a set of china as an early wedding present that they never used, but Jason thought it was best time as ever to give it a spin. It was beautifully crafted with a gold inlay on the porcelain. In the middle of the plates, a small GV was etched around a couple of swirls. When they did eventually get a china cabinet, Jason would have to showcase them. 

He was putting the finishing touches on the table when he heard the door open. Throwing off his apron and grabbing the flowers, he dashed to the door to greet his tired looking boyfriend. 

“Hello there,” Leo laughed, not surprised to see Jason. The blond always greeted him to their home like this. 

“Welcome back,” Jason replied, handing Leo the flowers before pulling him into a kiss. 

Leo smelled of motor oil and grass, two smells that shouldn’t mix or be pleasant, yet Jason enjoyed it nonetheless. Leo wasn’t wearing anything special on his special day, his work overalls with his hair tied up out of his face and off his neck, still, Jason thought he looked as amazing as when he was wearing a suit and tie. 

“Uh, Jason?” Leo pulled away from the kiss, putting his hands on Jason’s shoulders. 

“What’s that smell?” His nose crinkled up in that cute way Jason liked, making him want to- wait, huh? 

Oh! “My chicken!” 

He could hear Leo’s cackles from the other room as he ran to the kitchen, fanning at the smoke coming from the oven. Well, there goes that. 

Leo sat at the table, looking expectant as Jason peered out at him. Jason watched as he took a couple of sips of his wine, a Spanish export that had been Leo’s mother's favorite. 

“I’m waiting,” Leo drawled, winking at Jason. 

“Yeah yeah,” he grumbled before taking out two plates. He set one down in front of Leo, and the other in front of himself. 

“I may have...burned the chicken a little,” Jason admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“A little?” Leo chuckled, holding up a black piece of meat. 

“Should I order pizza?” He had the number on speed dial. 

“You made dessert too I hope? Let’s try that first,” Leo nodded. How he was so sure Jason hadn’t ruined that as well, they’d never know. 

Jason felt nervous giving the plate of cake to Leo, like he was on chopped or something. Wringing his hands together, he held his breath as Leo took a bite, getting ready for whatever he was going to say. 

“Wow.”

He was not expecting that. 

“Wow?” 

“Wow,” Leo smiled at him. It seemed the more he chewed, the wider it got. “No way did you make this. Are you serious, Jason? This is, and I’m not kidding, the best _tres leches_ I have ever had.”

His eyes seemed to light up like a kid with every bite he took. 

Tentatively, Jason took a bite, scared that Leo was being too nice to him. The cake melted in his mouth as soon as it touched his tongue. 

Seeing the look on his face, Jason couldn’t help as he leaned over the table and planted another kiss on Leo, mid-chew. 

“Happy birthday,” Jason licked his lips, the sweet taste of condensed milk lingering on them. 

Leo smiled at him again, somehow bigger than any of the ones before. 

“Ya know, as much as I love you and this surprise, I can’t live off of cake after an eight hour work day,” Leo pecked Jason’s cheek. 

“Leo, you’re so weird.”

“You say that a lot,” Leo mumbled before catching Jason in another kiss. 

“I love you too,” Jason breathed, kissing Leo back. 

“You should probably order that pizza.” 

“I will but, after this...” 

Jason’s smiled refused to fade for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> I really can't believe it's over, just like that. This week has been one of the most stressful most rewarding weeks of my life. I absolutely love this pairing with all my heart so huge thanks to my girl, caphrodite, for coming up with the prompts. It's literally the perfect week for these two I can't believe no one's thought to make it official yet. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all have enjoyed my writing this week! If you haven't yet, check out my other works, I quite like them. I've got lots more good stuff on the way so, hang in there ting ting, like glitter and gold~
> 
> love y'all,  
> Olympia


End file.
